If you have read THIS article on BBC Online about the A List you'd have thought Chatham & Aylesford Conservatives were in open revolt.
Alan Sullivan is chairman of the Conservative Association in Chatham & Aylesford. They have just selected a candidate, but before the process started, someone from the association went as far as advertising for local candidates to come forward, and choosing to single out A listers who didn't have good local knowledge. "We are listening, we hear the message," he said. "But we have made it very clear and we are not going to be moved from that, and I don't want this to be to appear to be threatening, we're not going to be moved from choosing the right candidate for us. "Now, as I say, we won't be influenced, whether it be female, male or ethnic minority."
Hmmm. Well at least the article is correct in saying they have just selected a candidate. What it fails to mention that the candidate was a woman, Tracey Crouch, and that she's on the A List. I'd call it a tad misleading not to have mentioned that rather salient fact.
The interesting point about BBC bias is they genuinely don't know they are biased. As that great sane left-winger Nick Cohen has pointed out, this bias is bad for all sides. I have come across this many times most graphically when I looked down on the BBC newsroom. Across a sea of desks only one newspaper was visible - The Independent.
ReplyDelete'single out A-listers' - surely 'filter out A-listers'
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point of the A-list ? You are assuming we understand it.
ReplyDeleteIf it is meant to be mandatory, from CCHQ, then the fact that local associations are kicking up a fuss would be a story.
But if it is meant to be voluntary, and the local associations want to do their own thing, why is that an issue?
Seems a bit of a storm in an eggcup.
Bryan - the clue is in the title 'The Independent'. It isn't left or right.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the Indy always was that it gave you both sides of the story and [radical concept alert] you had to make your own mind up ! Unlike the Torygraph or the Guardian.
I enjoy all these papers, but don't lets play 'guilt by association' and try to smear the independent as being guilty of left-wing bias.
Bryan Appleyard said...
ReplyDeleteThe interesting point about BBC bias is they genuinely don't know they are biased.
Andrew Marr said...
"The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias"
Seems like they know full well to me Bryan.
iain.. were you not on the A-list yourself once upon a time? I dont know much about the A-list i must add.. so do forgive me if I am wrong..
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: You must be kidding! The Independent is now far to the left of The Guardian.
ReplyDeleteIain , it is not exactly subtle is it when you keep defending Cameron and the A list. I reacall dark mutterings , we are to unimportant to share , about electoral realities ..and so tediously on it goes.
ReplyDeleteI have decided I am not mucking around any more, much , and I certainly support Cameron over all . In fact he has a number of encouraging things on tax (simplify)
The Police, ( reform and accountable locally) and much more . Believe it or not I am aware of the electoral position in marginal seats and well aware what a navel gazing exercise right wing blogs are .
The thing I strongly object about Cameron is the company he keeps . We all know that the A, list is picked for grovelling loyalty and even if it were not that would be the effect. It also picked from a homogenous class of political insiders . Other characters like Nic Boles , Osbourne , Hilton and other toffish work shy wets are exactly not what he needs around him . There has to be a reacquaintance between the party and it working class and lower middle class support .
We need working class and working people with family concerns to have a voice , Who knows perhaps some might persuade the country to a new middle ground . Could it be that these metro faux intellectuals might learn something from people who have experienced life .. Every A lister I notice helps the position not at all .
Cameron cannot do anything without the support of the party , he cannot ignore it and he cannot tell it you’ve nowhere else to go . Nor has he. We are stronger louder more numerous and better connected in the media . He must broaden the party to the centre , and deserves great loyalty for his achievements . You cannot on the other hand ignore the core support on a marketing basis . The political activists are more than numbers and he is making a mistake tactically and morally . The message must be broadened out to the right again and into the party if he is going to be able to act at all .
TAPESTRY who I follow with interest expresses this point far better and is entirely right with everything he says about the Conservative class blindness and iconography .I have gone on long enough but Broon is amply qualified to exploit this appearance .
One of the biggest kept secrets in any organisation (that eventually collapses) is that a person in authority, never promotes anyone better and more able than themselves.
ReplyDeleteWomen are being promoted beyond their ability and very soon, someone is going to take this up in the wider media.
Already the female bald headed boiler suit brigade want me dead for suggesting women are less able than men.
I'm not saying that.
In overwhelming instances within the Tory Party and Labour Party, women are being elevated over men and in spite of men, regardless of male ability.
Men aren't always 100% superior, but I say women aren't either.
A fair contest decides ability.
Tory 'A' listers do not do this.
Neither do Labour 50% (100% in instances)women only shortlists.
This is the biggest scandal I know in politics today.
This story should run far and wide and women should be ridiculed until they agree it to be unfair in their favour.
(Male-No name) fails as soon as he pulls up for the interview.
Doom.
TEJUS -The Dale is on the A list and is in every way a party insider nowadays. We must hope he has not gone to native but I fear the worst. ( Glad to see you don`t know absolutely everything )
ReplyDeleteAussie Gooner - Passing swiftly on from the cricket Andrw Marr has always known that the BBC is structuraly biased , in short , against the country .he was entirely happy for that to be the cae . Now he breaks ranks because the right drift in the media and the country is making him and his job look vulnerable .
He is a whore like all journos and the political bias of the BBC is actually specifically political as well as cultural. They all vote and not Conservative . rat from a sinking ship is he but the rest of the output ie dramas and so on is much more biased
What infuriates me about this article and a million others is the fact that it (purposely)ignores the sexual discrimination behind the A-List.
ReplyDeleteIt is 5 times harder for a white man to get on the A-List than a white women. This is not down to ability but a pre-set gender quota, which is sexist.
If the boot was on the other foot, you'd never hear the end of it from the PC industry.
While we're on the subject, I was pretty appalled to read about this story - it seems that the A list isn't even giving us candidates who can keep their noses clean :o(
ReplyDelete